Deontay Wilder: All the heavyweights are running scared of me

By Scott Gilfoid: With his 1st round knockout win over Malik Scott last weekend, heavyweight Deontay Wilder (31-0, 31 KO’s) registered his third 1st round knockout in his last four fights, and he showed the boxing world that he’s a forced to be reckoned with in the division. Deontay believes he’s got the top heavyweights running scared of him after that KO, and he can totally understand why. When you get a guy with 31 straight knockouts with the size and power that he has, it causes other heavyweights to want to play it safe and take on other opposition rather than risk their hide in facing a guy with his kind of power.

“I’m the guy right now all the heavyweights are running scared of me, and I don’t blame them,” Wilder said via ESPN. “I would not fight Deontay Wilder unless I had to. I know that I could me with either hand…I will keep doing what I do. Malik was supposed to go rounds with me. Is he a bum?”

Deontay’s next opponent – Chris Arreola or Bermane Stiverne – will have no choice but to face him, as he’s the mandatory challenger for the WBC title.

The winner of the May 10th fight between Arreola and Stiverne has to fight Deontay next or else risk having the title stripped from them by the World Boxing Council. I’m sure that it might not be the fight that Arreola or Stiverne were hoping to take after one of them wins the WBC title, but the WBC has already said that the winner of that fight must face Deontay next, so it’s kind of one of those situations where they have no choice but to face Deontay.

Deontay’s size and power makes him a nightmare opponent for anyone in the division. He says it himself that no one under 6’5” has a chance against him because they lack the height and size to compete with him. That obviously rules out Arreola and Stiverne, as both guys are well under 6’5”. Arreola looks closer to 6’2” than his listed height of 6’4”.

It’s going to be interesting to see what happens when/if Deontay is able to capture the WBC title. Will the top heavyweights suddenly start showing interest in fighting him or will they tell him his promoter at Golden Boy that they’re not available when they start looking for an opponent for his first title defense of his belt.

Deontay would like to fight Tyson Fury or Dereck Chisora, and one gets the sense that he’ll be willing to throw them a bone by not making them earn a title shot against him by becoming his mandatory. Deontay might even be willing to travel to the UK to fight in front of their own British crowds if it makes sense financially.

“He [Fury] is also disrespectful to the sport and a sorry excuse for a heavyweight,” Deontay said. I can’t wait to fight him.”

Yes, Deontay vs. Fury would be a good fight, but I think Deontay might have to wait because if Fury beats Chisora in their rematch in July, he’s not going to take any chances against a talented fighter like Deontay due to the Chisora-Fury fight being a WBO eliminator bout. The winner of that fight becomes Wladimir Klitschko’s WBO mandatory challenger. Fury will likely take soft opposition until Wladimir is ready to fight him in 2015.